In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales. The majority of these (nearly 1 million) were produced in the company's Japanese plants, with the remainder coming from a variety of other plants worldwide.

Contents

* 1 Name

* 2 Leadership

* 3 History

o 3.1 Partnership with Ford Motor Company

* 4 Marques

* 5 Emblems

* 6 Alternative propulsion and Bio-Car

o 6.1 Bio-Car

* 7 Auto racing

o 7.1 International competition

o 7.2 Spec series

* 8 Sponsorships

* 9 Marketing

* 10 See also

* 11 References

* 12 External links

Name

The company website states that name "derives from Ahura Mazda, a god of the earliest civilizations in West Asia...the god of wisdom, intelligence and harmony..." Ahura Mazda is the Persian – Zoroastrian God. The company website also notes that the name "also derives from the name of our founder, Jujiro Matsuda."

Leadership

* Jujiro Matsuda (1921–1951)

* Tsuneji Matsuda (1951–1970)

* Kouhei Matsuda (1970–1977)

* Yoshiki Yamasaki (1977–1984)

* Kenichi Yamamoto (1984–1987)

* Masanori Furuta (1987–1991)

* Yoshihiro Wada (1991–1995)

* Henry Wallace (1995–1997, appointed by Ford Motor Company, first non-Japanese CEO of a Japanese automaker)